Bart Weetjens

Founder of APOPO

A huge fan of rodents since he was a child, Weejens used his knowledge about rats to train them to detect both tuberculosis as well as land mines. A highly innovative thinker able to go outside of traditional approaches to issues of detection, Weejens has changed the role of rats from nuisance to lifesavers. Interested in proving that humans can work together with rodents instead of treating them as nuisances, Weetjens is interested in making the most of what is around and doing so in as efficient a way as possible.

Bart Weetjen's speeches are intriguing and direct. He demands attention for his audience and captures people's minds with his incredibly offbeat ideas.